Coachella Artist Spotlight: La Roux

There are three words you can say to instantaneously turn me off: androgynous, ginger, and synthpop. With that said, I somehow can’t stop listening to La Roux.

Maybe it’s her denunciation of the musicians topping our music charts… it could be her lyrics alone… or maybe it’s the fact that Elly Jackson just does not give a flying eff if we like her music or not.

Regardless, La Roux is stuck in my head, and now it’s your turn.

Click more to check out this woman of mystery.

So we really only have about a month left before Coachella is here. I’m not sure how many of you have gone before and already have a game plan for your weekend, but this post is for the first timers.

Take a minute and consider that those tickets you bought are for three whole days. Yeah the headliners are no brainers. You’re not going to travel to the desert and miss Jay Z, Muse or the Gorillaz. But what the hell will you do with the rest of your time? Bands usually kick off the day come early afternoon, giving you at least 12 hours of music to seek out and enjoy.

Sounds daunting now right?

It shouldn’t be. Here’s one artist I think you need to see on Friday April 16^th.

This post isn’t intended to say that La Roux needs to be played on KROQ. It certainly doesn’t fit what we usually play. However, being a music enthusiast myself and knowing that KROQ listeners are always eager for something new, I’m just saying you might benefit from checking this duo out in between beer garden visits.

The first time I heard La Roux’s latest single, “Bulletproof,” I got 20 seconds in before changing the song. It sounded way too Depeche Mode-y for me. Enter in Elly Jackson’s self-proclaimed “mosquito” voice and it was on to the next song.

Now wait up. I’m a firm believer that with a lot of music, it takes a certain environment and mindset to influence whether you are a fan. In this case, it took a gym session following a close encounter of the jerk kind to appreciate my shuffle’s selection of “Bulletproof.”

A self proclaimed David Bowie-inspired ginger from England, Elly Jackson has seen her first album debut at number 2 accompanying several hit singles in the UK all before her 22^nd birthday. “The public spoke for itself. People don’t just want R&B girls thrusting their groins at them. It gave me hope. People bought the record even though it was fronted by this odd-looking ginger girl,” said Jackson last year.

Playing Lollapalooza in 2009 and Coachella for the first time this year, La Roux’s US success pails in comparison to the action seen across the pond. “I’d like it to be a worldwide thing….but it’s not just about money…I’m not interested in making music for a niche,” said Jackson.

So what does La Roux sound like? “My album is quite gakky- not because of anything being consumed but from a love of that [80’s treble-heavy] sound. There were absolutely no drugs taken in the making of La Roux’s album.” Jackson added, “not while recording anyway.” Admittedly written after a bought with unrequited love, Jackson isn’t afraid to acknowledge what’s behind her jaded lyrics. “I’m romantic. That’s why I like epic love stories with tragic endings,” said Jackson. “You need the ache to write.”

At the risk of starting a “hate war,” Jackson, who is arguably one of the UK’s biggest pop stars,  doesn’t hold any affinity for the music of her peers. “I can’t possibly like everything.- how ridiculous is that?” said Jackson when questioned about fellow musicians. “[There’s] this over-familiarity with artists that lead to such short-lived careers….The music’s shit. I know no one wants to hear it, but that’s why.”

So if you need something catchy to distract you from that broken heart or want to indulge your Tilda Swinton obsession with a newer model, check out La Roux.